Since Beijing won the bid in 2015 to host the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, preparations have been steadily progressing. Let's get a refresher course on the timeline leading to the big day.

The Road to Beijing 2022

Chinese Romance in Beijing 2022

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics are not only a grand sports event but also a celebration of Chinese culture. Elements of calligraphy, ink-wash painting and philosophy are incorporated into the design of medals, costumes and venues. Art, culture and sports all combine to make the Olympics an exciting and memorable lifetime event.

Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic emblem was inspired by the Chinese character "winter".

Bing Dwen Dwen, the mascot of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games,  is a panda with a high sense of science and technology. It captures attention with its full-body "shell" made out of ice. The inspiration came from traditional Chinese snack "ice-sugar gourd," also known as tanghulu, which is candied hawthorns on a stick, while the shell also resembles a space suit--a nod to embracing new technologies for a future of infinite possibilities. 

Shuey Rhon Rhon, the mascot of the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, is a Chinese lantern child ready to welcome friends from around the world for a big party. Exuding positivity, the glow emanating from its heart symbolises the inspiring warmth, friendship, courage and perseverance of Para athletes that light up the dreams of millions every day.

The Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games medals, named "Tongxin", were designed and inspired by Chinese ancient jade concentric circle pendants. Five rings which symbolize the Olympic essence, circle around the center, conveying the message that the Chinese culture emphasizes harmony between heaven and earth, and unity of people

The Olympic flame lantern was inspired by the Changxin Palace Lantern in Western Han Dynasty (206BC-AD25) that demonstrates the ingenuity of ancient Chinese in combining aesthetics and utility in one.

 

The torch for Beijing 2022, named Feiyang, or flying, is full of dynamism and vitality, with a spiral that resembles a fluttering ribbon. The twisting design conveys the Chinese Taoist philosophy of harmony between man and nature. Spiraling upward, the torch can also be interpreted as a vigorously thriving plant. The primary torch colors of silver and red are metaphor for ice and fire, meant to symbolize how it will bring "light and warmth to the world of ice and snow."